Ilsa B Kuffner, Ph.D.
Ilsa Kuffner is a Research Marine Biologist at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
As a research marine biologist for the Coastal and Marine Geology Program, I investigate the causes and effects of coral reef degradation. I explore local- to global-scale stressors on reefs, and experimentally determine how environmental variables such as sea-surface temperature, water quality, seawater chemistry, nuisance macroalgae, and ocean acidification affect coral growth, the community structure of reefs, and the process of reef building. My work informs resource managers about the mechanisms causing reef degradation and how management efforts may be improved to protect and restore degraded reefs. Please visit the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies (CREST) website for more information (see link below).
Professional Experience
Research Marine Biologist, US Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Geology Science Center, 2002 to present
Faculty, School for Field Studies, Center for Marine Resource Studies, Turks & Caicos Islands, 2001 to 2002
Director, Forfar Field Station, Andros Island, Bahamas, 2000 to 2001
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, Post-doc advisor: Valerie J. Paul, 1999 to 2000
Education and Certifications
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Zoology, Ph.D. Chair: Paul L. Jokiel, 1999
Bachelor of Arts, University of New Hampshire, Department of Zoology, Minor: Marine Biology, 1993
Science and Products
Airborne lidar sensing of massive stony coral colonies on patch reefs in the northern Florida reef tract
Northern Florida reef tract benthic metabolism scaled by remote sensing
Temporal variation in photosynthetic pigments and UV-absorbing compounds in shallow populations of two Hawaiian reef corals
Effects of solar irradiance on reef coral physiology and recriutment
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Airborne lidar sensing of massive stony coral colonies on patch reefs in the northern Florida reef tract
In this study we examined the ability of the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) to discriminate cluster zones of massive stony coral colonies on northern Florida reef tract (NFRT) patch reefs based on their topographic complexity (rugosity). Spatially dense EAARL laser submarine topographic soundings acquired in August 2002 were used to create a 1-m resolution digital rugosAuthorsJ. C. Brock, C. W. Wright, I. B. Kuffner, R. Hernandez, P. ThompsonNorthern Florida reef tract benthic metabolism scaled by remote sensing
Holistic rates of excess organic carbon production (E) and calcification for a 0.5 km2 segment of the backreef platform of the northern Florida reef tract (NFRT) were estimated by combining biotope mapping using remote sensing with community metabolic rates determined with a benthic incubation system. The use of ASTER multispectral satellite imaging for the spatial scaling of benthic metabolic proAuthorsJ. C. Brock, K. K. Yates, R. B. Halley, I. B. Kuffner, C. W. Wright, B.G. HatcherTemporal variation in photosynthetic pigments and UV-absorbing compounds in shallow populations of two Hawaiian reef corals
As we seek to understand the physiological mechanisms of coral bleaching, it is important to understand the background temporal variation in photosynthetic pigments and photoprotective compounds that corals exhibit. In this study, reef flat populations of two hermatypic coral species, Montipora capitata (Dana, 1846) and Porites compressa Dana, 1846, were sampled monthly in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawai'i, fAuthorsI. B. KuffnerEffects of solar irradiance on reef coral physiology and recriutment
No abstract available.AuthorsIlsa B. KuffnerNon-USGS Publications**
Kuffner, I. B. and V. J. Paul, 2004, Effects of the cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula on the larval settlement of the reef corals Acropora serculosa and Pocillopora damicornis: Coral Reefs23:455-458.Kuffner, I.B., 2002, Effects of ultraviolet radiation and water motion on the reef coral, Porites compressa: A transplantation experiment: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology270(2):147-169.Kuffner, I.B. and V. J. Paul, 2001, Effects of nitrate, phosphate and iron on the growth of macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria from Cocos Lagoon, Guam: Marine Ecology Progress Series222:63-72.Kuffner, I. B., 2001, Effects of ultraviolet radiation and water motion on the reef coral Porites compressa Dana: a flume experiment: Marine Biology 138:467-476.Kuffner, I.B., 2001, Effects of ultraviolet radiation on larval recruitment of the reef coral, Pocillopora damicornis: Marine Ecology Progress Series 217:251-261.Kuffner, I.B., 1999, The effects of ultraviolet radiation on reef corals and the sun-screening role of mycosporine-like amino acids: Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 164 pp.Banaszak, A. T., M. P. Lesser, I. B. Kuffner and M. Ondrusek, 1998, Relationship between ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the concentration of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in marine organisms: Bulletin of Marine Science 63(3):617-628.Kuffner, I. B., M. Ondrusek and M. P. Lesser, 1995, The distribution of mycosporine-like amino acids in the tissues of Hawaiian scleractinia; a depth profile: in D. Gulko and P.L. Jokiel (eds.) Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Reefs. HIMB Tech Report No. 41, Sea Grant, Honolulu, pp. 77-85.Grottoli-Everett, A., I. B. Kuffner, 1995, Individual polyp response to UV radiation in Montipora verrucosa: in D. Gulko and P.L. Jokiel (eds.) Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Reefs. HIMB Tech Report No. 41, Sea Grant, Honolulu, pp. 115-120.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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